BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
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The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and, more
particularly, to a system for providing appropriate mobile services to subscribers.
Description of the Related Art
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A successful mobile service provider has to be able to accomplish three tasks:
1) acquire new subscribers, 2) retain existing subscribers and 3) make a profit on the
service provided. To this end, a mobile service provider typically develops several
service plans and sends informational material on these service plans to retailers and
subscribers. Many subscribers will purchase a service plan (from a retailer or directly
from the service provider) based on a low base monthly rate and generally not based
on their actual usage habits (e.g. number of domestic and international long distance
calls). Satisfaction with an ill matched service plan usually lasts until the monthly
phone bill comes and then the subscriber questions the suitability of the service plan.
The level of dissatisfaction increases with each passing month (or bill) and the
customer starts looking for a better deal. Unfortunately, this dissatisfaction is rarely
expressed directly to the mobile service provider in any form other than a sudden
discontinuation of the service.
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One of the most pressing problems facing mobile service providers is
churning. Churning refers to the situation where subscribers to mobile services
discontinue service with one service provider to sign with another source provider or
discontinue their service all together. The churn rate for the wireless industry
averages 30% annually and has cost the providers more than 3 billion dollars per in
the 1997-98 time frame. The generally accepted industry average acquisition cost
for acquiring new subscribers is $400 and it takes carriers eight to nine months to
make
back those expenses (the average cellular phone bill was $47.70 in 1996). It is clear,
that in terms of value per dollar spent, holding on to existing customers is more
efficient than replacing them. Unfortunately, the first indication that mobile service
providers get relating to the loss of a valued customer is when the customer calls to
cancel service.
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The causes of churn include; the opportunity to pay a lower rate, the chance to
get something for free (e.g. free voice mail or a rebate), and service dissatisfaction.
While it is important to understand the causes of churning, from a business
standpoint, understanding which particular customers are most likely to churn is even
more important. For example, subscribers with high monthly usage are much more
likely to churn than subscribers who use their phones sparingly. Not coincidentally, it
is the high usage customer who is the most valuable to the mobile service providers.
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Many mobile service providers have established customer retention programs
to retain their most valuable paying (MVP) customers. These programs utilize
demographic and billing information (e.g. types of calls made (domestic vs.
International), usage, type of service (high end vs. low end) and length of time as a
customer) to identify those MVP customers most susceptible to churning. Customer
service representatives contact these at risk customers and offer them incentives in
exchange for their loyalty (e.g. a contract with a longer term). These programs have
met with considerable success but they place considerable overhead onto the mobile
service providers.
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Access to the subscribers is another problem associated with these customer
retention programs. Customers are reluctant to listen to unsolicited calls from
customer service representatives and quite often customer contact is lost before the
representatives can get their message across. The success of these programs is
dependent on the ability to keep the customer's attention long enough to get the
message across.
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There is, therefore, a need for a method and system which will allow mobile
service providers to gain access to their at risk MVP customers and reduce their
susceptibility to churning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention has been made in consideration of the above described
problems and needs and has particular application to a system which allows mobile
service providers to identify and retain at risk subscribers using two-way interactive
communication devices capable of communicating with a server device over a
wireless data network.
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The present invention provides subscriber loyalty and retention techniques.
These techniques allows mobile subscribers who have been identified as being likely
candidates for churning, to efficiently, visually and interactively, review an offer for a
mobile service plan better meeting the subscriber's needs. The subscriber can review
and execute the offer using the display and interface of a mobile device. These
techniques are suitable for mobile devices with small screens and limited keypad
communication.
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According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention
discloses a method and system for making incentive offers to retain identified
subscribers who may fit a profile of a subscriber susceptible to churning by a
competing service provider. Susceptible subscribers are identified when their billing
records and/or demographic information match a predetermined profile. For example,
when a subscriber's billing records indicates that 100 hours of air time has been used
in less than a year then that subscriber could be designated as being at risk for
churning. The at risk subscriber is identified and then flagged for preemptive action
(e.g. offering the subscriber a better deal before a competitor probably does).
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Once a subscriber has been identified as being at risk for churning, a Loyalty
Service Server application generates a customized message to the subscriber's mobile
device that offers incentives in exchange for agreeing to a contract with a longer
term. This notification would appear as a customer service message from the
Service Provider and is placed in the mobile device's Inbox which can be accessed by
the subscriber at any time from anywhere. Thereafter, when the customer service
message is selected, it executes an underlying Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that
takes the subscriber to an on-line customer service application (i.e. a Loyalty Service
Server application running on a customer service server). This application provides
the subscriber with information relating to the terms and benefits of the service
provider's offer. Additionally, this system provides a means for the customer to
complete the application on-line.
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According to another aspect of the present invention, the entire offer and
acceptance process (for the new subscriber service plan) is conducted on-line with
the subscriber using the input interface of a mobile device to interact with the server
hosting the offer. Upon completion of the interaction, the subscriber's service can
also be provisioned almost immediately based on the subscriber's acceptance of the
offer for a new subscriber service plan.
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According to still another aspect of the present invention, the offer for a new
subscriber service plan can be electronically sent (e.g. facsimile or email) or mailed to
a designated address (i.e., phone number, email address, home address) at the
request of the subscriber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:
- Figure 1 illustrates a schematic configuration in which the present invention
may be practised;
- Figures 2A and 2B illustrate functional block diagrams of a customer service
server, a proxy server and a mobile device according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
- Figure 3 depicts an account structure used in the description of the present
invention;
- Figure 4 depicts a system in which a service request for information relating to
customer service offers can be practised according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
- Figure 5A is a flow diagram of churn reduction processing according to an
embodiment of the invention;
- Figure 5B is a flow diagram of customer service retention processing according
to an embodiment of the invention;
- Figures 6A to 6L demonstrate an exemplary mobile subscriber visual interface
by illustrating a sequence of screen displays according to an embodiment of the
present invention; and
- Figures 7A and 7B illustrate a process flowchart of the present invention
according to one embodiment.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerous
specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
present invention. However, it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that the
present invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances,
well known methods, procedures, components, and circuitry have not been described
in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present invention.
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The detailed description of the present invention in the following are presented
largely in terms of procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolic
representations that resemble of data processing devices coupled to networks. These
process descriptions and representations are the means used by those experienced or
skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others
skilled in the art.
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The present invention is a method and system which allows mobile service
providers to identify subscribers (particularly those subscribers who are considered to
be their most valuable paying (MVP) customers) who may be at risk to churning, and
once identified, present those identified with an opportunity to review and execute an
upgraded service plan better suited to their needs.
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The present invention is well suited for two-way interactive devices that are
used with a wireless data network. The two-way interactive communication devices,
referred to as mobile or client devices, include but are not limited to personal digital
assistant (PDA) like portable devices, cellular phones, or wireless capable remote
controllers. Often the two-way interactive communication devices have much less
computing resources than a desktop computer or laptop computer does, and such
mobile devices tend to have a small display screen and a phone keypad for a user to
interact with the server device to access mobile subscriber services.
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The method along with the system to be described in detail below is a
self-consistent sequence of processes or operations leading to a desired result.
These processes or operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical
quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities may take the form of
electrical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, displayed
and otherwise manipulated in a computer system or electronic computing devices. It
proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to
these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, operations, messages, terms,
numbers, or the like. It should be borne in mind that all of these similar terms are to
be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient
labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent
from the following description, it is appreciated that throughout the present
invention, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing" or "computing" or
"verifying" or "displaying" or the like, refer to the actions and processes of a
computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical
quantities within the computing device's registers and memories into other data
similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing device or other
electronic devices.
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Figure 1 illustrates a schematic configuration in of a data communication
system which the present invention may be practised. Landnet 100 is a landline
network that may be the Internet, an Intranet or a data network of other private
networks. Coupled to landnet 100 are a personal computer (PC) 1 10 and a customer
service server 104. Personal computer 1 10 may be a desktop computer (e.g., an
IBM compatible computer) and run a HyperText Markup Language (HTML)
browser(e.g., Netscape Navigator from Netscape Communications Corporation) via
landnet 100 using HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to access information stored
in customer service server 104 (e.g., a workstation from SUN Microsystems Inc. The
information stored in customer service server 104 may be hypermedia information or
mobile data including user account information and customer profiles for all user
accounts serviced by a carrier. Additionally, customer service server 104 may
contain applications, which may allow the generation of customized customer offer
messages or letters and process on-line applications for extended or additional
subscriber services.
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Figure 1 also illustrates a private network 120 including a computer 124 and a
server 122. The private network 120 is protected by a firewall 121 protecting
resources of the private network 120 from users on other networks. Private network
120 is typically used in a corporate configuration in which secure information (e.g.
billing records) is kept in server 122 and accessible only by computing devices, such
as computer 124, on the private network 120. Server 122 may operate as a source
of the information stored in customer service server 104. Optionally, although not
shown, customer service server 104 may also be protected by a firewall.
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Serviced by airnet 102 are a plurality of two-way wireless interactive
communication devices, referred to as mobile devices herein, though only one
representation 106 is shown in the Figure 1. Mobile device 106 is one of those two-way
interactive communication devices and is capable of communicating, via airnet
102, wirelessly with antenna 108. The airnet 102 represents a wireless carrier
infrastructure that generally comprises a base station and an operations and
maintenance center. The base station controls radio or telecommunication links with
the mobile devices. The operations and maintenance center comprises a mobile
switching center performing the switching of calls between the mobile devices and
other fixed or mobile network users. Further the operations and maintenance center
manages mobile services, such as authentication and oversees the proper operation
and setup of the wireless network as well.
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Between landnet 100 and airnet 102 there is a server device that operates as
a proxy server 114 (also referred to as link server, wireless data server or network
gateway server).The proxy server 114 may be a workstation or a personal computer.
Proxy server 114 couples airnet 102 to landnet 100. Typically, the communication
protocol in airnet 102 is different from that in landnet 100. Hence, one of the
functions proxy server 114 performs is to map or translate from one communication
protocol to another, thereby enabling mobile device 106 coupled to airnet 102 can
communicate with any of the devices coupled to landnet 100 via proxy server 114.
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According to one embodiment, the communication protocol in landnet 100 is
the well known HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or HTTPS, a secure version of
HTTP, and runs on TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and, for example, controls
the connection of the HTML web browser in PC 110, to customer service server104,
and the exchange of information therebetween. The communication protocol between
mobile device 106 and proxy server 114 via airnet 102 is Handheld Device Transport
Protocol (HDTP) (formerly known as Secure Uplink Gateway Protocol (SUGP)),
which preferably runs on User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and controls the connection
of an HDML web browser in mobile device 106, to proxy server 114, where HDML
stands for Handheld Device Markup Language. HDML, similar to that of HTML, is a
markup language (or tag based document language) and comprises a set of
commands or statements specified in a card that specifies how information displayed
on a small screen 11 6 of the mobile device 106. Normally a number of cards are
grouped into a deck that is the smallest unit of HDML information that can be
exchanged between the mobile device 106 and proxy server 114. The specifications
of HDTP, entitled "HDTP Specification" and HDML, entitled "HDML 2.0 Language
Reference" are enclosed and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. These
are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. One skilled in the art will
appreciate that the present invention can be practised using other communications
protocols (e.g. Wireless Session Protocol (WSP)) and markup languages (e.g.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Compact Hypertext Markup Language (cHTML),
Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Wireless Markup Language (WML)).
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It should be noted that HDTP is a session-level protocol that resembles HTTP
but without incurring the overhead thereof and is highly optimized for use in thin
devices, such as the mobile devices, that have significantly less c'omputing power
and memory than that in a desktop personal computer. Further it is understood to
those skilled in the art that the UDP does not require a connection to be established
between a client and a server before information can be exchanged, which eliminates
the need of exchanging a large number of packets during a session creation between
a client and a server. Exchanging a very small number of packets during a
transaction is one of the desired features for a mobile device with very limited
computing power and memory to effectively interact with a landline device.
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Although the data communication system 100 was described above as
including a proxy server, it should be understood that the data communication system
100 shown in Figure 1 does not need to include the proxy server 114 as its
operations can be performed by any remote server, such as the customer service
server 104. The use of the proxy server 114 does provide for efficient mapping or
translation between protocols. The data communication system also does not need
to use HDML or UDP protocols.
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According to one embodiment, mobile phone 106 comprises a display screen
116 and a keypad 118, which allows a user thereof to communicate interactively
with mobile device 106. Phone keypad 118 comprises, preferably, a typical phone
keypad and a pair of generic buttons and at least a pair of upward and downward
arrow buttons. The typical phone keypad, as commonly seen, comprises twelve
buttons. Of the twelve buttons, ten buttons are consecutively numbered, each for
one of the numeralsO to 9, respectively, one button is for "*" sign and the other
button is for"#" sign. The generic and the arrow buttons provide convenient and
efficient means for a user to interact with mobile device 106. Further it is to be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be
practised using other input interfaces such as touch screens with icons or displayed
soft keys.
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The mobile device 106 includes a working memory (e.g., ROM and RAM)
not shown, in mobile device 106 Compiled and linked processes of the present
invention are typically stored in the working memory as a client module that causes
mobile device 106 to operate with proxy server 114. Upon activation of a
predetermined key sequence utilizing keypad 118, for example, a microcontroller in
mobile device 106 initiates a communication session request to proxy server 114
using the client module in the working memory. Upon establishing the
communication session, mobile device 106 typically receives a single HDML deck
from proxy server 114 and stores the deck as cached in the working memory. As
described above, an HDML deck comprises one or more cards and each card includes
the information required to generate a screen display on display screen 116. The
number of cards in a card deck is selected to facilitate efficient use of the resources
in mobile device 106 and in airnet network 102.
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As used herein, a display screen is the physical display apparatus in a device,
such as a 4-line by 20-character LCD screen. A screen display is the image presented
on the display screen such that a screen display can be displayed on a display screen.
Further it is understood that a display screen having display lines is only for
illustrative purpose and many display screens in reality are graphics-based and do not
necessarily have distinct display lines and it will be appreciated that the principles of
this invention are equally applied thereto.
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Referring now to Figures 2A and 2B, there are shown functional block
diagrams of proxy server 200, customer service server 220 and mobile device 250
according to an embodiment of the present invention. Proxy server 200, that may
represent proxy server 114 of Figure 1, is typically a server computer, and mobile
device 250 may, for example, correspond to mobile phone 106 of Figure 1. To avoid
obscuring the principle aspects of the present invention, well known methods,
procedures, components and circuitry in proxy server 200, customer service server
220 and mobile device 250 are not described in detail. Further, it is understood to
those skilled in the art that a server device used herein, which may perform as proxy
server 200 or web servers (including customer service server 220), means a piece of
hardware equipment that comprises one or more microprocessors, working memory,
buses and necessary interfaces and other components while a server module therein
means compiled and linked that perform designated functions through the parts and
components in the server device. The same distinction is equally'applicable to mobile
device 106, referred to, for example, as a client device, and the client module as
stated above.
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Proxy server 200 comprises a landnet communication protocol (LCP) interface
202 that couples to landnet 240, a wireless communication protocol (WCP) interface
206 that couples to a wireless network 245 via a carrier's infrastructure. LCP
interface 202 implements a communication protocol operating in landnet 240. If
landnet 240 operates HTTP/TCP, LCP interface 202 is typically an HTTP/TCP
interface. Similarly, wireless network 250 may operate a wireless communication
protocol suitable for the characteristics of a wireless network. For example, if the
wireless network operates HDTP/UDP, WCP interface 206 is typically an HDTP/UDP
interface. Examples of the wireless communication protocols may include, but be not
limited to, wireless session protocol (reference to www.wapforum.org), HTTP or
modified HTTP specific for wireless networks. Examples of the wireless network may
include Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Time Division
Multiple Access (TDMA) to name a few.
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Proxy server module 210 performs traditional server processing as well as
protocol conversion processing from one communication protocol to another
communication protocol if the communication protocols in landnet 240 and wireless
network 245 are different. According to the present embodiment, the protocol
conversion processing, sometimes implemented in a separate module referred to as a
mapper herein, includes protocol conversion between HTTP/TCP and HDTP/UDP,.
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Working with server module 210, account manager 212 manages a plurality of
user accounts for all the mobile devices serviced by proxy server 200. It is understood
that the user accounts may be stored in another network server coupled to
landnet240. In other words, the user accounts can be kept in a database that is
physically placed in any computing device coupled to landnet 240 and can be collected
or fetched therefrom. Each of user accounts is associated with one of the mobile
devices. Typically a mobile device is assigned an identifier or device ID. Device ID can
be a phone number of the device or a combination of an IP address and a port number,
for example: 204.163.165.132:01905 where 204.163.165.132 is the IP address and
01905 is the port number. The device ID is further associated with a subscriber ID
created and authorized by a carrier as part of the procedures to activate a user account
for mobile device 250. The subscriber ID may take the form of, for example,
861234567- 10900_pn.mobile.att.net by AT&T Wireless Service, it is nevertheless a
unique identification to mobile device 250. In other words, each of mobile devices
serviced by proxy server 200 has a unique device ID that corresponds to a respective
user account in proxy server 200. The following description is focussed on mobile
device 250 and its associated account, it shall be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that the description is equally applied to all mobile devices in communication with
proxy server 200.
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Subscribers or user accounts, indexed by each respective device ID, may be
represented by a data structure 300 as shown in Figure 3. Each record in data
structure 300 comprises information about a subscriber, such as device ID 302,
subscriber ID 304 and user information 306 for the account indexed by 93845823.
User information 306 may include the account configuration information, for
example, device ID 302 is a mobile phone that is pre-configured for a GSM network
and, probably, may be provided with an option to switch to a CDPD network if
necessary. Further user information 306 may include pointers or linkages to other
account related information, such as account index information 308 and further
detailed account information 310 such as usage information, peak minutes, and recent
call history. Account index information 308 along with all detailed information like
account information 310 can be physically located together with data structure 300 or
separately in one or more devices coupled to landnet 240 of Figure 2A. When a
request is made from mobile device 250 to retrieve specific information in a server on
landnet 240 or a notification received to be delivered to mobile device 250, either the
device ID or the subscriber ID 304 thereof must be included for authentication.
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Returning to Figures 2A and 2B, customer service server 220 is a server
device performing customer service related applications and comprises a provisioning
interface 222, a storage device 224, loyalty server module 226 and memory 228.
Provisioning interface 222 provides access by a provision entity 280 to customer
service server 220. In one embodiment, provision entity 280 is a server, corresponding
to private server 122 of Figure 1, within a carrier's private network and stores source
information regarding all customer retention programs. The source information is
securely forwarded to customer service server 220 that subsequently generates
customized offers to respective subscribers with respect to profile information of each
of the subscribers. In another embodiment, provision entity 280 is a terminal that is
securely connected to customer service server 220. When provision entity 280 is
authenticated and provided secure access to customer service server 220 that may
include user profile information, special offers and other programs related to the
customer retention programs, an authorized user of provision entity 280 may, for
example, update the user profile information upon a special request and modify special
offers for a particular group of subscribers.
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Storage device 224 comprises a plurality of sets of subscriber profile
information relating to the churn susceptibility of the subscribers. Additionally,
storage device 224 may contain a group of threshold values with respect to the stored
profile information. The information contained in storage device 224 may be updated
or modified from provisioning entity 280 (e.g. a mobile service providers billing
server) through provisioning interface 222. It should be pointed out that the contents
in actual customer profiles or formats thereof do not affect the operations of the
present invention.
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Loyalty server module 226 and program code stored in memory 228 are the
primary components making up the subscriber loyalty application running on
customer service server 220. The subscriber loyalty application identifies a subscriber
who may be susceptible to churning, and once the susceptible subscriber is identified,
loyalty server module 226 generates a customized customer retention offer to the
susceptible subscriber. The susceptible subscriber is typically identified by comparing
stored customer profile information (e.g. billing parameters relating to usage, types of
calls, the age of the account, etc.) with a group of predetermined threshold values
associated with the profile information. Based on the comparison a churn
susceptibility index is generated. A subscriber having profile information (churn
susceptibility indexes), which exceeds the threshold values, is identified as being
susceptible to churning. The customer retention offer is stored in storage device 224
and a notification thereof is sent through proxy server 200 to a mobile device being
used by the susceptible subscriber. The LCP interface 232 in customer service server
220 is compatible to LCP interface 202 in proxy server device 200. If, for example,
customer service server 220 and proxy server device 200 are coupled together through
the Internet operating HTTP/TCP, both LCP interfaces, 202 and 232, are the HTTP
interface modules. If customer service server 220 and proxy server device 200 are
connected directly or physically in a same server, both LCP interfaces, 202 and 232,
may only need to perform handshaking to ensure proper communication therebetween.
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Mobile device 250 includes a corresponding WCP interface 252 that couples to
wireless network 245 via a RF transceiver (not shown) to receive incoming and
outgoing data signals. It is understandable that WCP interface 252 is implemented
with a UDP interface, as does WCP interface 206, when wireless network 245
operates HDTP. When other wireless communication protocol is operated in wireless
network 245, both WCP interface 252 and WCP interface 206 are readily
implemented accordingly so that proxy server 200 and mobile device 250 can
understand and communicate each other.
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Device identifier (ID) storage 254 supplies a device ID to UDP interface 252.
The device ID identifies a specific code that is associated with mobile device 250 and
directly corresponds to the device ID in the user account provided in proxy server
device 200. In addition, mobile device 250 includes a client module 256 that
performs many of the processing tasks performed by mobile device 250 including
establishing a communication session with proxy server device 200, requesting and
receiving data from carrier network 208, displaying information on a display screen
260 thereof, and receiving user input from keypad 262 as well. The client module 256
is coupled to UDP interface 252 for the establishment of a communication session and
the requesting and receiving of data. Additionally, the client module 256 operates,
among other things, a browser 264, commonly referred to as micro-browser, requiring
much less computing power and memory than well-known HTML browsers do. The
micro-browser is, preferably, a Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) browser
from Unwired Planet, Inc. located at 800 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, CA
94063. Additional details on accessing a (proxy) server device from a mobile device
including a (micro) browser is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,809,415, which is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown an overview of a data communication
system 400 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 should be
understood in conjunction with Figures 2A and 2B. Mobile device 402 is serviced by
proxy server device 404 via wireless carrier network 406 and carrier infrastructure
408.
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Information is exchanged between mobile device 402 and proxy server 404
upon establishment of a communications session between the two devices. The
communications session is conducted using a wireless communications protocol (e.g.
Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) or Handheld Device Transport Protocol (HDTP)) and is
coordinated by a server module 428 in proxy server 404 and client module 430 in
mobile device 402. When the communications session between mobile device 402
and proxy server 428 is established, a request for information contained on a customer
service server 440 can be made by the server module 428. The request is forwarded
by proxy server 404 to customer service server 440 through LANDNET 410 (e.g. the
Internet or an Intranet). Communications between proxy server 404 and customer
service server 440 can be conducted utilizing protocols in the Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) family (e.g. Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS)
over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS) over
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)). One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that a single
server device may provide the functions of proxy server 404 and customer service
server 440.
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Loyalty Server Module 442 is an application running on customer service server
440. This application provides the functionality required for receiving, storing and
managing customer profile information (e.g. demographic information, billing
information and calling tendencies such as the type of calls made) and thresholds
related to churn susceptibility. Additionally, Loyalty Server module 442 can further
identify those customers (also referred to as users or subscribers) who have been
statistically identified as being susceptible to churning, and can automatically generate
an offer for a value-added service package to customers so identified.
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Similar to mobile device 250 of Figure 2B, mobile device 402 comprises a
display screen 416, a keypad 418 and a working memory 420 that includes a device
identification thereof. Preferably, mobile device 402 further comprises an HDML
micro-browser 422.
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It is now understood that the information of the airtime by a particular mobile
device can be collected and updated with respect to the corresponding user account
maintained in proxy server device 404. According to the present embodiment, screen
display 424 is provided in an HDML choice card, preferably cached in the memory 420
of mobile device 402 when a communication is established with proxy server 404.
The choice card comprises a list of choices, each choice corresponding to a selection
that may be linked to available services and linked documents. To be more specific,
screen display 424 shows in Figure 4 that there are three choices, Voice Call, Internet
and Inbox. It should be noted that the number of the choices being displayed are not
necessarily related to the principles of the present invention, they are only for
illustrative purposes herein and typically related to actual implementation preference by
the carrier. As shown in screen display 424, the Inbox is indicated by a choice or
element indicator 426 that can be moved upward and downward by user interaction
with keypad 418. If the user selects the third choice, i.e. Inbox, a selection or chosen
preference is made after a predefined key is pressed. A client module 430 interprets
the chosen preference and then generates a request corresponding to the chosen
preference. The request is forwarded to proxy server device 404 over wireless network
406. Typically the request comprises a device ID of mobile device 402, at least one
uniform resource identifier (URI) identifying resource information for the Inbox. The
resource information may reside in proxy server 404 or customer service server 402.
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Upon receiving the request from mobile device 402, server module 428 of
proxy server 404 executes the request by accessing the resource information
associated with the subscriber identifier. More specifically, the server module
authenticates mobile device 402 with respect to the associated user account managed
by the account manager and retrieves the resource information identified by the URI.
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According to the invention, the resource information may include a customized
message to the user of mobile device 402. In one embodiment, the customized
message is an offer of services. The offer may be for a value-added service package
providing additional services to the user in exchange for an extended services contract
with the carrier. This customized message would appear as a Customer Service
Message from the service provider and be presented in the subscriber's Inbox (see
Figure 6B discussed below. When the Customer Service Message is selected (as
described below), it executes an underlying Uniform Resource Identifier, which takes
the subscriber, via proxy server 404, to the Loyalty Service Server application running
on the customer service server 440. The subscriber is then allowed to review a
customized loyalty offer on the screen of mobile device 416. The customized loyalty
offer details briefly and explicitly the terms of the offer. Additionally, the subscriber is
presented with the option to either review and subscribe to the offer on-line using
mobile device 402 or to contact a customer service representative by pressing a
predetermined key.
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If the subscriber chooses to accept the offer, there will be additional terms and
conditions which can be displayed on mobile device 402 or faxed to a conveniently
located fax machine. If a signed contract is required to process the service
subscription, it is presented to the subscriber as a faxable document, which can be
signed and faced back to the service provider. Since the process for executing the
offer is an IP type transaction (if that option is selected), and the provisioning
information is already known to the service provider ----- the proxy server 404 can rout
the subscription transaction directly into the billing system, which can automatically
provision the new service.
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It should be noted that the user preferably utilizes a mobile device, such as a
cellular telephone, that is capable of communicating over a data capable wireless
network. More specifically, a cellular telephone is not a combination of a computer and
a wireless communication module as seen in laptop computers. Typically the
computing power of a mobile device may be equivalent to less than one percent of
what is provided in the laptop computers. The memory capacity of the mobile device is
generally less than 128 kilobytes and the LCD display is perhaps a few lines high by
twelve or twenty characters and the graphics capabilities is very limited. Further, the
input interface is limited to a few keys or displayed soft keys. Nevertheless, these
constraints are important to maintain for the usability and mobility of the mobile
device. Even still, the invention is not limited to mobile devices having such limiting
features but is generally applicable to all mobile devices that make use of subscriber
services.
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Figures 5A and 5B are flow diagrams of processing performed by a customer
service server and a mobile device, respectively. The processing is designed to reduce
the likelihood that subscribers of a carrier's service will churn to another competing
carrier.
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Figure 5A is a flow diagram of churn reduction processing 500 according to an
embodiment of the invention. The churn reduction processing 500 is, for example,
performed by a customer service server, such as the customer service server 104
illustrated in Figure 1.
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The churn reduction processing 500 monitors subscriber behaviour to obtain
subscriber behaviour information at block 502. The subscriber behaviour information is
then stored on the customer service server or some other storage location accessible
by the customer service server at block 504. Next, a churn likelihood predictor (CLI)
is predicted 506 (or estimated) for each of a plurality of subscribers. The prediction or
estimation of the churn likelihood indicator is performed based on the subscriber
behaviour information. For example, in one embodiment, the churn likelihood indicator
could be determined based on subscriber usage which is a particular subscriber
behaviour that can be monitored.
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Following block 506, the churn likelihood indicator for each subscriber is
compared against a threshold value at decision block 508. When the churn likelihood
indicator for a particular subscriber exceeds the threshold value, then it is determined
that that particular subscriber has a high susceptibility to churning. Hence, for those
of the subscribers that are determined to have a high susceptibility to churning,
predetermined messages are sent at block 510 to such subscribers. The objective of
the messages that are sent to the subscribers is to reduce the likelihood that the
subscribers will, in fact, churn in the near future to some other carrier. In one
embodiment, the messages can offer the subscribers an improved subscriber service
plan that would offer them better rates in exchange for a longer-term commitment.
The particular subscriber service plan offered to the subscribers can be selected from a
variety of options based on the particulars of the subscriber's behaviour. Following
block 510, the churn reduction processing 500 is complete and ends. Additionally,
when the churn likelihood indicator is determined not to exceed the threshold value at
the decision block 508, the churn reduction processing 500 has determined that such
subscribers do not have a high susceptibility to churning and, thus, block 510 is
skipped for such subscribers so that the messages to reduce their churn likelihood are
not send.
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Figure 5B is a flow diagram of customer service retention processing 550
according to an embodiment of the invention. The customer service retention
processing 550 is, for example, performed a mobile device, such as the mobile device
106 illustrated in Figure 1.
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The customer service retention processing 550 is, for example, incorporated
into other messaging type operations that are performed on a mobile device.
Typically, these operations would include the receipt and display of incoming
messages (e.g., email messages) into an in-box. Once messages are stored in the in-box,
mobile devices are typically able to read, reply and sometimes fax the messages
in accordance with a subscriber's desires.
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According to the customer service retention processing 550, certain messages
may be sent to a subscriber of a mobile device by customer service departments
associated with carriers. These customer service messages can pertain to subscriber
service opportunities for the subscriber of the mobile device. As discussed above
with respect to Figure 5A, the customer service messages can be automatically
generated by a customer service server and forwarded to appropriate subscribers.
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In any event, the customer service retention processing 550 displays a list of
messages that have been received by a mobile device and are available to be read by a
subscriber of the mobile device at block 552. Then, a customer service message is
selected from the list of messages at block 554. Here, the subscriber in viewing the
list of displayed messages on a display screen of a mobile device, operates to select a
customer service message from the list of messages. Hence, the customer service
retention processing 550 is essentially activated when the subscriber makes the
selection of the customer service message. As previously noted, the customer service
message is, for example, the message sent at block 510 of Figure 5A.
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After selecting the customer service message, the subscriber service
opportunity information that is associated with the customer service message is
displayed on the display screen of the mobile device at block 556. At this point, the
subscriber is able to accept, decline or obtain more information on the subscriber
service opportunity. Additionally, if desirable, the subscriber can also be able to
directly communicate with a customer service representative to discuss details
pertaining to the subscriber service opportunity. Following block 558, the customer
service retention processing 550 is complete and ends.
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According to one embodiment of the present invention, the stored billing records
are periodically analysed to identify selected subscriber usage parameters. These usage
parameters are forwarded to the customer service server where they are used in
conjunction with service provider preferences (e.g. the service provider may want to
devote resources to the most profitable customers) and available demographic
information to develop a churn susceptibility index for subscribers in the service
providers network. Those customers having a churn susceptibility index meeting
predetermined criteria are flagged for inclusion in the service provider's customer
retention program (or loyalty assurance program). Once flagged, the customer is sent
a customized message that has been generated by the Loyalty Service Server
application running on the customer service server (i.e. customer service server 104 in
Figure 1).
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The user interaction with the mobile device in accordance with the invention
will now be further described with reference to Figures 6A to 6L. Figures 6A and
6L illustrate a exemplary series of screen displays on display screen 600 of a mobile
device (106 of Figure 1) according to one embodiment. When the mobile device is
turned on, an initial screen display 604 can be displayed on display screen 600.
Referenced by 612 is a soft key generally associated with one of the generic buttons in
the keypad of mobile device 106 in Figure 1. As described above, the soft key
provides a mechanism to map a generic button into a specified button, namely to press
the generic button is equivalent to pressing an "OK" button when the soft key "OK" is
displayed. Again, the functionality of this invention is independent of specific soft
keys. Other means may be used to assign the soft key to one of the buttons existing in
a standard phone keypad, such as the "#" key.
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Screen display 604 may be supplied by one of a plurality of choice cards in a
deck cached in the working memory of the mobile device. Screen display 604 contains
textual information that indicates information and selectable elements available in the
current screen display. Three selectable elements 606, 608 and 610 are provided on
screen display 604. Selectable element 610 is shown as being selected as indicated
by an element indicator (or element selection character) 614. Any one of the selectable
elements 606, 608 and 610 can be preselected.
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In this embodiment, a selected element is visually indicated to the user by
element indicator 614. Namely, as shown, element indicator 614 is placed after the
numeric label "3" indicating that it is the third choice in the menu in screen display 604
for that element. However, any other method, such as inverse image or video, a
different element selection character, or the position of the element being always at
the top or bottom of the display, could also be used to indicate the specific element
selected without having an impact on the operation of this invention. The user can
select a different element by vertically scrolling element indicator 614 up or down.
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In accordance with the present embodiment, screen display 604 includes three
choices. First choice 606 places the mobile device in a voice mode in which a user can
dial a phone number to place a phone call. Second choice 608 enables the user to
navigate the Internet. Third choice 610 allows the user to view or access their Inbox.
The Inbox contains incoming messages (e.g., email or pages) for the subscriber of the
mobile device. Pressing a predetermined key (i.e. the soft key associated with "OK")
when element indicator 614 is aligned with the third choice takes the user to a display
screen as shown in Figure 6B.
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Figure 6B shows that element indicator 614 has been moved down to the third
choice "Cust. Serv. Msg." Generally, upon pressing the predetermined key, the mobile
device makes a connection request to a server device that in turn returns the requested
information. In this example the requested information is a customer service message
from the Loyalty Service Server application running on a server (i.e. customer service
server 104 in Figure 1). The returned information, typically cached first, is then
displayed in screen display 618 as shown in Figure 6C. The associated customer
service message from the Loyalty Service Server application is fetched and displayed.
As described before, the Loyalty Service Server application is an application running on
a customer service server which is connected to a mobile device (402 in Figure 4). In
the case of the customer service message from the Loyalty Service Server application
described before, the message (e.g. a loyalty offer to a subscriber identified as being at
risk to churning) must be pulled or fetched from the customer service server.
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Again referring to Figure 6C, the customer service message (e.g. "You Have
Reached 100 Hours Service and we'd like to say thank you...") is displayed on screen
display 618. There are two soft keys 622 and 624. Soft key 622 indicates that display
screen 616 has more information to be displayed if soft key 622 is pressed while soft
key 624 provides convenient means for the user to fax the customer loyalty offer to a
nearby fax machine or to forward it to a specified email address. Figure 6D displays
the remainder of the message from Figure 6C and gives the user the same soft key
options.
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Figure 6E displays screen display 626, which provides the user with the choice
of reviewing the customer loyalty offer ("Review the Offer") or going back to the
initial screen display 604 ("Back to Home Pg."). If the subscriber selects the first
option ("Review the Offer") screen display 628 will be displayed as shown in Figure
6F. In screen display 628 the subscriber is given four options. Option 1 ("Review
Here") allows the subscriber to review the customer offer on display 600 of the
mobile device. Upon reviewing the customer loyalty offer, the subscriber has the
option of executing the offer on-line using the interface of the mobile device. Since
the process is conducted on-line, the customer's new service can be provisioned
immediately by the service provider providing the service. This is the most cost-effective
manner for the service provider since interaction with a customer service
representative is not required.
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Upon selecting the first option ("Review Here") from screen display 628 the
subscriber will be given a brief overview of the loyalty offer and the opportunity to gain
more information using the interface of the mobile device as shown in Figures 6G and
6H. Screen displays 640 and 642 give the subscriber a brief promotional message and
the key features of the loyalty offer. Soft key 622 shown in Figure 6H leads to screen
display 644 shown in Figure 61. Soft key 630 provides a convenient means for the
subscriber to contact a customer service representative by pressing a single key, an
useful feature when a describer desires a "human voice." At this point in the process,
the subscriber's attention is focussed on the offer and it is desirable to provide the
subscriber with every opportunity to request additional information and execute the
offer. To this end, the subscriber is given the opportunity to complete the process
using the input interface of a mobile device or contact a customer service
representative. Referring to Figure 61, screen display 644 gives the subscriber several
options. Option 1 ("Tell Me More") provides more details relating to the details and
terms of the customer loyalty offer. Option 2 allows the subscriber to execute the
customer loyalty offer using the input interface of the mobile device. Options 3 and 4
allow the subscriber to receive the customer loyalty offer by mail or facsimile.
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Referring to Figures 6J to 6L, a customer selecting option 2 in Figure 61 is
presented with screen display 646, and given the option of reviewing the terms of the
agreement (option 1) or proceeding right to the application (option 2). Most of the
information required to process the agreement is already known to the service
provider. Hence, the subscriber may only need to verify the information and press
"OK" if the information is correct or input updated information if it is incorrect as
shown on screen displays 648 and 650 as shown in Figures 6K and 6L. If need be,
the subscriber can add new information if needed.
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Figures 7A and 7B illustrate a process flowchart according to one embodiment
of the present invention and shall be understood in conjunction with the rest of the
figures. At 700, a mobile device is in a state that displays a menu comprising a link to
access mobile subscriber services that may further provide entries or choices to a
plurality of aspects of the services including user accounts, help, service requests, etc.
At 702, a choice is made by a user to access one particular aspect of the mobile
subscriber services, and the choice provides a link to the user account database, which
records activities. Upon completion of the subscriber's activities, customer profile
information and churn related parameters are updated (704). Following this update a
churn index is calculated (706), which provides an indication of a subscriber's
susceptibility to churning. At 708 the churn index is compared to predetermined
threshold values (e.g. 100 hours usage) and those subscriber's having indexes
exceeding the threshold values are flagged as recipients for VIP offers (customer
service plans designed to discourage churning). VIP offers are generated for flagged
subscribers at 712. A link (e.g., Uniform Resource Locator (URL)) and a brief message
relating to the VIP offer are sent to the Inbox for the subscriber's mobile device at 714.
The link, for example, may be an IP address for the customer service server where the
VIP offer is resident.
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Upon activating a predefined key on the phone keypad, the mobile device, at
716, makes a request to communicate with a server device (e.g. a customer service
server) that is identified by the link (e.g., IP address) and hosts the VIP offer or
provides a gateway to the loyalty offer that may be located in another device coupled
to the customer service server device via a data network, e.g. the Internet. To prevent
possible unauthorized access to the user account with respect to the mobile device at
716, an account manager in the server device, proceeds with an access verification
that may include a verification of the request by, for example, comparing the device
identification from the mobile device with a corresponding device identification in the
user account. If the device identifications are matched, the access is permitted at 716.
Further, if necessary, a secure session may be established by exchanging encryption
keys from both sides. The detailed description of establishing a secure communication
session between the mobile device and the server device is provided in commonly
assigned U.S. Patent Application No. 08/966,988 entitled "Method and System for
Secure Lightweight Transactions in Wireless Data Networks" Hanqing Liao, et al,
which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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At 716, the server device consolidates all available information and options
provided by the carrier to this particular user account in a form transportable in the
wireless network to the mobile device. The form may be represented in a markup
language, such as HDML, supported by a micro-browser in the mobile device. The
micro-browser in the mobile device interprets the form and causes the mobile device to
display all information and options to the user at 718. With the available services are
displayed, the user may perform a number of tasks including viewing the VIP offer,
inputting information in accordance with requests displayed on the screen of the
mobile device 720 or executing the VIP offer on-line 722.
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It can be appreciated by now that the present invention provides an efficient
means for mobile service providers to lessen the susceptibility of their subscribers to
churning. The present invention allows users to navigate, via a wireless data network,
all aspects of a VIP offer on a mobile device with a small screen and a phone keypad
without incurring additional costs to the service providers.
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The present invention has been described in sufficient detail with a certain
degree of particularity. It is understood to those skilled in the art that the present
disclosure of embodiments has been made by way of example only and that numerous
changes in the arrangement and combination of parts as well as steps may be resorted
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly,
the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the
forgoing description of embodiments.